Denver Broncos Pro Bowl Safety to Miss Time

The Denver Broncos will be without one of their most reliable stars for the foreseeable future. Head coach Nathaniel Hackett announced during his Wednesday media availability that safety Justin Simmons will "miss some time" with a thigh injury:

Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said Wednesday S Justin Simmons is being evaluated with a thigh injury said Simmons will “miss some time.” Said injury happened in second half of opener and Simmons finished the game.
— Jeff Legwold (@Jeff_Legwold) September 14, 2022

Simmons played every defensive snap of the Broncos' 17-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, so it's unclear exactly when he suffered the injury. Following Hackett's conference, the Broncos placed Simmons on injured reserve, indicating he'll miss at least four weeks. They also signed safety Anthony Harris to the practice squad.

Simmons has been a mainstay on the Broncos defense since being drafted 98th overall in 2016. He hit his stride as a starter in 2019, making the first of his two second-team All-Pros. He has hauled in an impressive 14 interceptions in his past three seasons and has started every game for his team since 2018, including an amazing 100% of the defensive snaps from 2018 to 2020. The Broncos will rely on unproven defensive backs Caden Sterns and P.J. Locke in his absence for their Week 2 game against the Houston Texans.